


One Robot or Two?

by 18lzytwner



Series: LazyTown Second Series [7]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-02-02
Updated: 2008-02-02
Packaged: 2019-06-28 17:39:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 15,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15711921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: There is a new villain running around LazyTown and Robbie is up to something bad as usual but what happens when the violence escalates?The age difference is not that substantial





	1. Chapter 1

_**Shortly after Big Decisions** _

"Mr. Rotten!" The screech came from the all too familiar voice of Robbie's parole officer, Mrs. Margaret Mazzi. Robbie cringed as he opened the top of the tube for the irate woman.

"You filled your drug test container with apple juice!" She continued to screech at him as she came down the entryway of the lair.

"I have no idea what you're talking about and I'd like it if you'd lower your tone. I'm going to be deaf soon." Robbie said snidely when she landed. It probably wasn't the right thing to say as the parole officer dumped the apple juice all over the villain making him wet and sticky.

"That was absolutely uncalled for!" Robbie shouted back. He may have been pissed off on the outside but on the inside he was laughing. It was too easy to get under Mazzi's skin and he loved doing it, that and it helped pass the time.

"Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to take a shower." The villain turned and left the red-faced parole officer standing there next to his big fuzzy orange chair.

On the surface Stephanie looked out the kitchen window as clouds began to gather in the darkening sky above LazyTown. She wished she'd been able to go out and play but the homework she had wouldn't allow it. It was just as well however as big raindrops began to fall. With a sigh she turned back to her laptop and the history paper that was due the next day. She'd been putting it off and now the ten page monstrosity about World War Two was coming back to bite her in the butt.

"The start of World War Two was…" the sentence hung there inside the digital piece of paper waiting to be finished. Normally she would have been able to jump right in and explain the take over of what used to be Czechoslovakia and then the September first nineteen thirty nine German march into Poland. Britain and France would declare war on Germany two days later but not backing up their promise until the invasion of Belgium and Holland on May tenth of nineteen forty. However none of that made it to the page and her train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the front door. She quickly answered it as the rain began to pound harder on the windows in the kitchen. There she found a soaked Sportacus. Stephanie grabbed his arm and pulled him in.

"Are you ok?" She asked as she closed the door.

"I was just doing my rounds when it began to rain and I tried to get to my airship but this was closer so I was hoping I could wait it out over here." He smiled as he wiped the water off his face with his hands.

"Let me get you some towels." The twenty year old smiled back and ran down the hall to the bathroom where she retrieved some large beach towels. When she returned to the kitchen she handed one over to the soaked above average hero and he began to dry himself off.

"So what are you up to?" He asked, as he took his boots off so as not to make more of a mess by spreading mud.

"My paper that's due tomorrow." She answered as she took the soaking wet towel from him and handed him a dry one.

"That ten page one that you were given three weeks ago?" Sportacus wondered.

"The very same one." Stephanie told him as she handed him a third towel so he could sit down in the kitchen on one of the chairs and then turned her attention to the rain and the pounding the windows were taking.

"How far are you?" He asked as he walked over to the kitchen sink and removed his hat.

"Well I have half a sentence." The twenty year old waited for him to give her his 'are you serious?' look that he usually reserved for Robbie but when she turned around she instead caught the sight of curly dirty blonde hair.

"What am I going to do with you?" Sportacus shook his head with a slight smile.

"Well I could think of a few things." She said distractedly. That sentence caught the above average hero off guard and an awkward silence fell between the two.

Back below the surface, Robbie emerged from his shower to find that Mrs. Mazzi was gone but she left a note saying that she would be back later and wanted a real sample this time. The villain shrugged and thought he'd worry about that later as he turned to his workshop. His most recent endeavor was to figure out how to make his little beeping robot into a human sized one. Perhaps something he could hold a conversation with once it went through is animation machine. That's when an evil thought went through his head.

"Oh how could I resist?" He asked no one in particular.


	2. Chapter 2

At the Mayor's house, Sportacus broke the silence that had settled as he let out a very loud sneeze.

"Oh no." He said.

"You had better get out of those wet things and into something dry." Stephanie told him, the worry in her voice was evident.

"Sounds fine and dandy but all my dry stuff is in my airship and I personally don't want to go back outside if I can help it." The above average hero jerked his head toward the window and as if the weather had heard him, thunder boomed and lightening struck.

"Good point, so what are we to do? I can't very well have you catch cold and I can't throw you in the dryer." The twenty year old giggled.

"Very funny. I think I'll just take some more towels and some sports candy. Besides you have to finish that essay." Sportacus reminded her.

"All right well I'll be right back." Stephanie promised as she went back down the hall and retrieved some more of the large beach towels that he could wrap himself in. Then she grabbed a few apples off the kitchen counter for them to have. The lightening and thunder continued outside bringing with it more and more rain.

"If this keeps up we might have some flooding problems." The pink haired girl remarked. Sportacus was about to say something when the power went out.

"Crap." Robbie muttered as he was thrown into complete darkness. It seemed his evil plot would have to wait until the power was restored.

"Where'd I put that stinking flashlight?" He asked himself hoping his eyes would adjust so he could look around. Not a very patient man, LazyTown's resident villain decided he'd better go look for it. The first few steps proved to be easy as there was nothing to bump into it was the fifth step that would be his undoing. Robbie bashed his shin on his toolbox and then proceeded to walk into his workbench. Cursing under his breath, he continued to move around hoping that he could find what he was looking for. The next thing he walked into was the doorframe, which smacked him right between the eyes.

"Son of a…" he started as he rubbed his nose and managed to get through the doorway. Robbie's stumbling continued until he reached his fuzzy orange recliner. By this time he was exhausted and he crumpled into the seat.

"Ouch!" The villain exclaimed. He had sat on something and he quickly reached underneath himself to fetch it. Much to his surprise and chagrin he had found his flashlight. Robbie let out an aggravated sigh and turned the battery-operated mechanism only to find out that it could use a fresh set of batteries, which were in the kitchen.

"Double crap." He muttered. Slowly he started the process of making his way to the kitchen to retrieve the power source.

On the outskirts of town, a strange looking man wearing a long trench coat tried to walk through the brutal storm. He'd seen the lights go out in the nearby town and hoped that they would cover his arrival. The stranger continued on until he reached an old shop that had been abandoned. It would be the perfect place to keep out of sight and out of the rain until he could find the one he searched for.

Using his lock picking skills the tall slender man was able to get inside within a matter of moments. Once he was in, he pulled his glasses off and tried to wipe the rain off of them. His coat was soaked and it didn't do a very good job so he pulled it off and used his shirt. Despite the torrential rain the trench coat had done what it was supposed to and kept him dry. He cleaned off his glasses again with success and then moved about to make himself comfortable.


	3. Chapter 3

"I have to go out and make sure everyone is safe. With no power, I need to check and make sure those with home breathing machines are all right." Sportacus said after helping Stephanie retrieve some flashlights and candles.

"Then be careful out there. I don't want you to be fried by the lightening." As if to emphasize her point another bolt struck down from the heavens and scorched the sidewalk. Both of them looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Well I guess I'd better hurry. I'll come back when I'm done. I love you." He smiled, gave her a peck on the cheek, and left the house. The pink haired girl hoped he'd be safe and then turned back to her task of shutting down her laptop. Without a power source there was no way she could finish writing her essay on battery power. The next step was trying to figure out how to get the assignment done.

Robbie had managed to obtain the batteries he'd been searching for but not before giving himself more bruises and lumps. Now he sat in his fuzzy orange recliner fiddling with a battery operated lantern he'd found in his workshop. Realizing that it needed the big D cell batteries, he let out a big sigh. The villain wasn't sure if he had any of those and even if he did they weren't with the other ones from the kitchen.

"Mother Fletcher." He muttered to himself. Robbie sat there pondering for a few minutes about where he could scrounge up some of the big batteries when suddenly the power came back on.

"Nice. I managed to cover myself head to toe in black and blue marks and now the power comes on." The villain shook his fist in the air at the electricity that ran through the wires in the ceiling.

"I guess I can get back to work on my robot." He shrugged and stood up from his comfy chair. Making his way back to his workshop, Robbie looked over what he'd accomplished so far and how much still needed to be done.

"By the time I finish this Sportakook will be an old fogey. I need some help." He said to the metal and plastic parts on the workbench. Slowly, LazyTown's resident evildoer began pacing back and forth.

"Think, think." Robbie said. He continued to pace about hoping it'll make his brain cells work better then they had been as of late.

The stranger sat in the shop watching parts of LazyTown flicker back to life with light while others still remained in the dark. Power crews must have been working furiously to get life back in order but the rain would make their lives difficult. He shivered and adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses. It was cold in the shop and being soaked didn't allow for any warmth so much as it did for dampness. Hopefully the one he looked for would have heat and somewhere dry to sleep. The last few places he'd been were dry but not very warm and his long journey had made him over tired. He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

Thunder boomed and the lightening continued to strike as Sportacus ran around to the medical needy on the list he'd been given from the Mayor and stored in his memory banks. So far of those he visited, most still had power, which was good news. The last two he had visited though did not and they were trying to get by on their portable oxygen tanks. However those weren't going to last long enough in case the power was still out in a few hours and the above average hero promised to get them moved to a place that did have power. There was one more house left on his list and he approached door as lightening struck the tree that was nearby. The tree broke in two and half of it headed for the home's power lines. Sportacus tried to get there as quickly as he could to prevent the tree from crashing down but the slippery conditions were not conducive to his plan. He slipped in the mud and fell as the tree continued on its path. Sparks flew as the tree hit it's unfortunate target and then landed on top of him.


	4. Chapter 4

The rain continued to pound the Mayor's house and Stephanie hoped that Sportacus and her uncle were safe. She hadn't heard from either of them in the longest time and she was getting worried. With the power still out she could not use the cordless phone in the kitchen and her cell phone was unresponsive. Looking out the windows, she watched the storm continue to beat LazyTown and water began to pond everywhere. It was then that she spotted a fire truck that was soon followed by an ambulance. Unable to sit still anymore the twenty year old pulled on her rain boots and coat and headed out into the weather to find out where the vehicles were headed.

Emergency crews arrived on the scene and they immediately got to work. Sportacus lie underneath the massive tree with the power lines lying in between the two. Fire Chief McNally shouted into the radio for the police to call the power company and have them cut the electricity so they could try to save the motionless hero. A minute passed and the lines went dead. The firefighters moved in and tried to lift the tree off of the above average hero. It took ten men to move the monstrosity but they finally got it off of Sportacus. Using special rubber insulated gloves, the power lines were moved and the paramedics rushed in to see if they could help the town champion.

"I don't have a pulse!" One of the men shouted as he started to do CPR. Another man grabbed the defibrillator out of the ambulance and hurried back to his partner's side.

"Charge it to three hundred." The first man, whose name patch read Penfold, ordered. His partner, Ford, did as he was told. They would need thirty seconds before the machine was ready. Penfold continued to administer CPR until Ford shouted,

"Clear!" His partner ripped open their patient's shirt and moved aside before they sent the second electrical jolt through Sportacus in the past ten minutes.

"I'm still not getting anything! Charge to three-sixty!" Penfold tried to make sure his voice was heard above the storm. Ford nodded and upped the charge.

"Clear!" He shouted and jolted the above average hero's chest again. Again the paramedics felt for a pulse and again they were disappointed.

"Try four hundred!" They weren't going to give up though. The two hoped that the third time was the charm.

The stranger had heard the sirens, which woke him from his nap. Now he watched intently from his safe hiding place. He moved to the floor and placed his hands upon it then he closed his eyes and felt. The first emotion he caught was fear but he pushed past that and tried to get a sense of what was going on. There was pain and the feel of death was undeniable. A shock then went through his body and he quickly pulled himself up off the ground. Whatever was going on over there, someone was trying to cheat death. He shook his head. Death was a part of life, his creator had said, though he would never know it. Again he moved to his comfy set up that he'd made for himself and fell back asleep.

Stephanie arrived on the scene where all the lights and rescue vehicles were. She could here people shouting and she tried to get closer but Fire Chief McNally stopped her.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Stephanie, I…" the head firefighter didn't know how to tell her what had happened.

"What happened? Did something happen to Sportacus?" Now the pink-haired girl's concern jumped. If he didn't want to tell her, the news could not be good. Chief McNally opened his mouth to tell her something when someone shouted forcing their attention in another direction.


	5. Chapter 5

Mayor Meanswell unlocked the front door to his home and walked inside. The lights were still out and he could barely see anything as he removed his shoes and coat. Making his way around to the kitchen island, he tripped and fell. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he called to his niece.

"Stephanie!" There was no answer as he lifted himself up off the floor. Finding that odd, he called again in case she didn't hear him.

"Stephanie!" Still there was no answer and now he became nervous. Feeling around on the island he found a flashlight and turned it on. No note had been posted on the refrigerator and her laptop was closed on the kitchen table. Milford focused his attention on the coat rack and found that Stephanie's raincoat and boots were missing.

"Oh no." He murmured. As if to answer his hopes that his niece was ok, he could hear sirens in the distance. Going to the window, the Mayor saw an ambulance heading for FunTown and the hospital. Quickly he put his wet shoes and coat back on and headed out into the storm.

"Pulse is thready and his BP is low." The paramedic's words were unknown to her but they didn't sound good. Stephanie had forced herself into the ambulance after hearing that they had managed to revive the man she loved. In fact the words had never left her mind. For some period in time Sportacus had been dead. It now occurred to her that just like her parents, he would leave her too. Everyone she ever cared about left and she should have seen that coming when Sportacus had been in a coma a month or so ago.

The ambulance came to a screeching halt outside of FunTown Hospital. Sportacus was whisked out of the ambulance toward the doctors who ran up to meet the emergency personnel. The next few minutes were a blur. Stephanie didn't even remember leaving the ambulance but somehow she ended up in a chair in the waiting room. She didn't notice the driver of the emergency vehicle talking to the doctor only a few feet away. The doctor nodded and then walked over to the pink haired girl.

"I'm Doctor Paul Czajkawicz. Can you tell me your name?" He seemed nice enough and he smiled so the twenty year old answered him.

"Stephanie."

"Hi Stephanie. You rode in the ambulance, can you tell me why?" He wondered.

"Sportacus." The girl's one-word answers were not as helpful as he's hoped.

"Ok well my friends are taking a look at him right now. Did you need help?" Czajkawicz hoped that she was just in emotional shock and not actually in pain.

"No. I…" she paused and looked him before continuing.

"Why do they leave me?" Stephanie asked. Not having any idea what she was talking about the doctor tried the answer she the best he could.

"I'm sure it wasn't on purpose. Is there I can call for you? Maybe your mom and dad?"

"They're dead." She responded. Czajkawicz grimaced inwardly before asking his next question.

"Well then how about an aunt or uncle?"

"My uncle." Stephanie perked up slightly but not anywhere near her usual self. That's when the two heard a shout.

"Stephanie!" Milford ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"What are you doing here? What happened?" His questions only brought another one word answer.

"Sportacus." After a few moments, Doctor Czajkawicz pulled the Mayor aside and tried to explain the situation.

"From what I understand the paramedics had to revive Sportacus after he was shocked with a live electrical line. He was clinically dead for almost ten minutes. On top of that he was pinned beneath a tree. There are massive internal injuries and the possibility of brain damage is more than likely."

"So what can we expect?" Milford wanted to know.

"There is a good chance that he will have little or no brain function, just enough to keep the rest of his body alive provided they are able to fix his other internal injuries." Paul told him.

"Good God. How do I tell Stephanie?" The Mayor wondered.

"Right now she seems to be in an emotionally shocked state. The best thing for her is to be at home. Staying here would be a bad idea. Seeing Sportacus connected to tubes and wires could throw her into a more internal state. I couldn't get much of any answer when I talked to her. Take her home and we'll call you when anything about his condition changes." Czajkawicz responded. Milford nodded and thanked the doctor before getting Stephanie and heading back to LazyTown.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning dawned bright and sunny as if to say that the night before had only been a nightmare but the evidence of what the storm had left in its wake was too obvious. Trees were still down all over LazyTown and a small number of the town inhabitants were still without power. Luckily, power had been restored to the Mayor's home but that didn't matter to Stephanie. She was still very out of it as she had been the day before. Going to college today was out of the question and Milford called the school to see what he could do about getting the work she was going to miss.

He talked to a very nice woman in the admissions office who explained that the best thing to do would be to e-mail her professors and work something out with them. Well using a computer wasn't exactly something that the Mayor was keen on and the poor man spent the better part of an hour sending four e-mails.

On the other side of town, there was one person who was having better luck. The stranger had left his hiding place in search of the one he sought. Despite the tree limbs and debris in his way, he made good time reaching the lid of a certain villain's hideout. He banged on the lid and suddenly a voice came over the electronic doorbell.

"Who is it?" The grumpy tone could only belong to one Robert Rotten, awoken from his fitful night of sleep.

"I am here to help you. Let me in." The man responded.

"Who says I need help?" Robbie retorted.

"TMVDN says you do." Came the smart reply. Robbie mouthed the letters and tried to place the parts of the acronym to actual words but failed. It was then that he decided it was probably best to the let the caller in.

"One second." He said through the communication device as he pushed the button to let the man in. The lid opened and the stranger jumped inside. Upon his landing, he looked around the lair. Electronic parts lay strewn about and a rather disheveled man stood in front of him.

"I am Robot one-one-two-dash-three from The Ministry of Villains and Downright Naughtiness but you can call me IAC." The caller extended a hand.

"The Ministry of Villains and Downright Naughtiness? Who are they and why would they send me a robot?" Robbie asked shaking IAC's hand.

"TMVDN is a society of men and women who make sure that do-gooders everywhere are under the constant bombardment of evil. They have been watching your hair-brained attempts at defeating the one called Sportacus and they wish to help. My name is another acronym that spells out "Interactive Construct". I am a highly advanced robot that can think and act human, the technical term would be android." The mechanical creation explained.

"So why call you Robot one-one-whatever?" Rotten continued to ask questions.

"I have two modes, with a push of a button I can become a regular robot. The TMVDN made this way to avoid showing do-gooders such as Sportacus that we have the technology available to us." IAC told him.

"I see. Well IAC this sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I'm currently working on my own robot scheme but I haven't nailed down all the details. With your help though we can take Sportakook down." Robbie smiled the best he could and the two got to work. The only problem was they didn't realize their quarry was lying in FunTown Hospital, barely clinging to life.

Doctor Czajkawicz paced about in the nurse's lounge trying to think of someway to bring LazyTown's beloved hero back from the dangerous precipice he was on. This morning had shown no improvement whatsoever. His body didn't react when touched and hot and cold stimuli seemed to have no affect on him either.

"What else can we do?" The medical man asked the furniture around him.


	7. Chapter 7

Trixie stopped by the Meanswell household just after four o'clock. She had called Stephanie on her cell phone about ten times but her friend never answered. Finding that odd, she tried calling the house but again no one had answered. Now knocking on the door, the prankster hoped that someone would ease her worries.

"Trixie! It is so good of you to stop by. Please come in." Mayor Meanswell smiled slightly.

"I tried calling but no one answered. What's going on?" She asked as Milford ushered her inside.

"I have an announcement to the town to make so I was in my office down the hall and couldn't get to the phone in time." The short round man explained.

"Town announcement?" Trixie knew that something serious must have been going on if the Mayor was making one of those.

"Yes, during the storm yesterday Sportacus was hurt very badly and the doctors think at best he'll be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life." Meanswell said. The girl couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Stephanie hasn't spoken at all since we got home from the hospital. I don't know what to do." He continued.

"I'll try to talk to her. You take care of that announcement." Trixie nodded.

"Thank you. She's in her room." Milford told her. With a quick nod, Stephanie's friend headed down the hallway. The Mayor watched and let out a big sigh. He still hadn't figured out how he was going to tell everyone that the town hero was a vegetable. Slowly Milford put on his coat and hat and then went down to the Town Hall. Miss Busybody was waiting for him; perhaps she would have some words of wisdom.

Trixie knocked on Stephanie's bedroom door and got no response. Opening the door anyway, she found her friend staring out the window. The pink-haired girl looked as if she hadn't slept at all the night before.

"Steph, it's me Trixie." She got no answer and it made her nervous.

"Hey Pinkie this is your wake up call. Anybody home?" This time she got a glare from the distraught girl.

"There we go. Your Uncle told me about Sportacus. I'm sorry." The name struck a chord and for the first time tears began to flow down Stephanie's cheeks. Trixie took her friend into her arms and let her cry.

Meanwhile, the Mayor prepared to announce to LazyTown the awful news when there came a knock on his office door. Finding it odd that Miss Busybody would knock he tried to raise her on the intercom.

"Miss Busybody what is it?" He asked. He got no answer and found that even stranger. Shaking his head, Milford got up and opened the door to find a strange looking man there.

"Who are you?" The Mayor asked.

"There are so many clichés I could say right now but I don't think my creators would be very happy about that." IAC answered.

"Creators?" Milford asked confused. The android just shook his head and asked,

"Are you going to come quietly or do I have to do to you what I did to your secretary?"

"What did you do to Miss Busybody?" Meanswell was getting very upset.

"I'll take that as the non-quiet option." IAC said. The next thing Milford remembered was being poked by something that came out of the smart robot's finger.

"Sleep tight fat boy." IAC smirked.


	8. Chapter 8

"Wake up Maggi." The soft sound of a woman's voice slowly brought the boy's eyes open.

"Good morning Mom." He smiled.

"Come on son, you'll be late to school." She said. Quickly he got out of bed and got ready for his day of education. He rushed around so much that he almost forgot to grab his things for the sleep over at Sven's house. However his mother handed him his other book bag full of clothes for Saturday.

"Have a good time tonight honey. See you tomorrow." His mother called as Maggi ran out the door.

"I will Mom!" He didn't even tell them to have a good time themselves or that he loved her. Suddenly the scene changed and he was sitting with his aunt and uncle. They carefully chose their words but the message was the same. His parents were dead.

The machines Sportacus was hooked up to starting beeping like crazy bringing the doctors and nurses attention to the above average hero. They rushed into the room and quickly took stock of the situation.

"He has an elevated heart rate and his breathing is erratic." One of the nurses said.

"His blood pressure is on the rise." Another nurse called out. Then just as soon as the problems had arisen they were gone and the above average hero calmed down.

"I want a CAT scan run as soon as possible." Doctor Czajkawicz ordered. Something was driving Sportacus to try and come back and he wanted to know what it was.

Back in LazyTown, Stephanie had stopped crying and now she and Trixie were watching some television waiting for the Mayor's announcement to come on. However when the time arrived for the major news, the deputy mayor was standing at the podium instead. Confused, the two turned the volume up on the TV.

"I will be filling in for Mayor Meanswell tonight. It is my sad duty to inform everyone that Sportacus was in an accident…" the rest of the conversation was lost on deaf ears as Stephanie raced to the phone in the kitchen. Quickly she dialed the Town Hall's number that was so familiar to her. When Miss Busybody didn't answer, she became very nervous.

"Trixie! We have to get down to Town Hall now!" Stephanie's mood had completely changed. The feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that something was very wrong. Quickly her friend joined her in putting her shoes on and running to Town Hall.

When the two arrived at their destination, they found Milford's office being searched by Police Chief Dooright.

"Where is my Uncle?" The pink haired girl asked.

"Stephanie, you need to see this." Dooright said. He handed a clear plastic bag over to her with a note inside. She read the note aloud so Trixie could hear.

"Stephanie,

I have your Uncle and Miss Busybody. If you ever want to see them alive again, you will bring me Sportacus. No cops or the fat ones bite it." There was no signature and the handwriting did not look familiar.

"Now what?" The twenty year old asked.

"Its obvious that up until the deputy mayor's speech that the criminals did not know about Sportacus. That means that they have to be here in LazyTown." Dooright explained.

"How do you figure?" Trixie wanted to know.

"All of FunTown knows that they have the famous Sportacus in their hospital. They might be a bigger town than us but keeping secrets there is just as hard." The Police Chief said.

"So now the criminals know that Sportacus is in the hospital." Worry could be heard in Stephanie's voice.

"Well not exactly." Bradley told him.

"What do you mean?" Both girls wanted to know.

"The deputy mayor called me and told me what he'd found so I told him to not tell the truth at the press conference." Dooright said.

"What did he say?" Stephanie asked.

"He said that Sportacus would be off his feet for a few days and that everyone should not be alarmed at his absence. With the kidnappers aware that Sportacus isn't himself but not aware of the severity of his condition it could buy us some time." The Police Chief explained.

"And what if it doesn't?" The pink haired girl wondered.


	9. Chapter 9

"Mr. Rotten!" Mrs. Mazzi screeched. The villain rolled his eyes and couldn't believe his bad luck.

"What is that?" IAC asked.

"My parole officer. Hide the Mayor and what's-her-face." Robbie said. Quickly the android did as he was told and Robbie let the woman in.

"What is it now Mrs. Mazzi?" He asked.

"Random drug test and a few questions." She told him.

"Do you really have to do this? I was about to start cooking dinner." Robbie let his annoyance be known.

"Of course I do, it's my job. Now where were you today between four o'clock and five?" Mazzi wanted to know.

"Here, where else would I be?" He asked sarcastically.

"And what do you think of the deputy mayor's announcement?" Margaret wondered.

"What do you want me to say? You know I dislike Sportakook. Am I happy he's not doing well? Eh…" Robbie told her.

"Uh huh. Fill this." The parole officer said and handed over a cup for him. The villain just rolled his eyes and headed for the bathroom. About ten minutes later the woman left with what she wanted and IAC left his hiding place.

"So how many more times will we have to endure that?" The android asked.

"I don't know but if Pinky brings us Sportadope then we won't have to worry." Robbie said.

"And what if she doesn't?" IAC wondered.

"Then we show both of them that we aren't joking." The lazy man told his new found friend.

Over at Town Hall, Stephanie paced the floor. She had to figure out something or her Uncle and Miss Busybody were in big trouble.

"The letter didn't say where to drop Sportacus off. What do we do?" She asked the Police Chief. Then as if someone had been overhearing their conversation, Milford's phone rang. Stephanie hesitated to pick it up until the Dooright was ready on Miss Busybody's extension. He signaled that she could answer the phone, and the pink haired girl picked up the receiver.

"Mayor Meanswell's office." Stephanie said.

"Bring Sportacus to the old abandoned rubber ducky factory by ten o'clock tonight or you'll be picking up parts of Miss Busybody all over LazyTown." The unfamiliar voice told her.

"Wait, I…" the twenty year old didn't get to finish as the line went dead. She let out a sigh and put the phone back down into the cradle.

"That gives us two and a half hours to get Sportacus from the hospital and over to that factory." Dooright shook his head.

"We can't. There is no way I'm handing him over to this crazy person. When they find out what condition he's in…" the thought of them hurting him was unfathomable.

"Your Uncle and Miss Busybody, need to be rescued. What do you suggest?" The Police Chief wondered.

"Hey both of you calm down. We have to be able to come up with something. I say we call Pixel. He'll have some idea." Trixie suggested.

"No we can't suck everyone into this. The less people know that Mayor Meanswell and Miss Busybody are missing the better." Dooright said.

"I agree. If we can't give this guy Sportacus we'll give him the next best thing." Stephanie told them.

"Who is that?" Both gave her a look.

"Me." Came the reply.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter has a little higher rating - nothing too graphic but definitely something that some might find inappropriate.

Time passed all too quickly as the ten pm deadline was now only a few minutes away. Robbie paced back and forth inside his lair waiting for the news from IAC. A walkie-talkie sat on top of the workbench and depending on what Morse code signal he was given, it could mean doing exactly what he was promised. Two dots and a long dash meant that he needed to kill Miss Busybody. Three dots meant to keep the hostage alive and let her go. Milford would be kept for security purposes until he'd lived out his usefulness.

His nerves were on edge and thoughts buzzed around in his brain. IAC had said that he could do it anyway he liked but Robbie wasn't sure what to do. He'd never killed someone and with the tools he had at his disposal, he knew there would be a mess.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time?" He asked the walls of his Lair. Sadly they would give him no direction.

Over at the old rubber ducky factory, IAC paced back and forth. He'd seen pictures of Sportacus and knew what to be on the lookout for in case the LazyTowners tried to play any tricks on them. His internal central processing unit alerted him to the current time, nine fifty-nine and thirty seconds. The android grabbed the walkie-talkie and pressed the Morse code button once in a long dash to alert Robbie to standby. The internal CPU sounded again now signaling that it was ten pm. IAC looked to the nearby doorway and saw the knob turning. The moment of truth was at hand.

The door opened and a tall figure stood on the threshold. They looked around and seemed unsure of their steps.

"Are you the one they call Sportacus?" IAC called out startling the person.

"I am." The person responded from the moonlit doorway.

"You are to come with me and then we will release Miss Busybody." The android explained.

"What about the Mayor?" Sportacus asked.

"He will be dealt with later." IAC told him. At this point the machine picked up the walkie-talkie and headed closer to the man who stood partially in darkness.

"You said in your letter that they would both go free." The above average hero said.

"I lied." IAC shrugged. That's when he grabbed the man by the shirt and found something was not right.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but the male of your species doesn't have maguffies." The android said.

"Some of us do." Came the reply.

"Not like these." IAC gave them a squeeze to make his point. He could feel the person wince. Then he grabbed the hat off the head of the above average hero impersonator.

"Ah you are the one they call Stephanie. Nice try but you just got Miss Busybody killed. I hope this Sportacus was worth what you've done." The android said.

"You don't understand. Sportacus can't be here." The twenty-year-old spit out before IAC pressed the button on the walkie-talkie.

"Oh and why not?" He asked.

"Just take me and let Miss Busybody and my Uncle go." Stephanie preferred to not go into that.

"Tell me or I press this button and the fat broad buys the farm. I don't see why I should give away my leverage for something I didn't order." IAC was beginning to wonder why his creators had installed the slang program. Stephanie wasn't sure what to do next. If she told him what was really wrong with Sportacus, he could kill her on the spot and then she would not be able to save her Uncle and Bessie.

"You are trying my patience. Tell me in the next thirty seconds or I have my associate kill both of them." The android ordered.


	11. Chapter 11

"Please just let them go and take me." Stephanie begged.

"Fine have it your way. I hope you told your Uncle you loved him." IAC pressed the button down once and then went for a second time when the pink-haired girl shouted,

"Sportacus is in a coma at the hospital in FunTown!"

"Really? What happened to him?" IAC asked.

"He was electrocuted during…" that's when Stephanie got cut off.

"The rain storm yesterday. I felt Death's presence. This Sportacus is a strong one." The android said.

"Will you let my Uncle and Miss Busybody go?" She asked.

"Well you see this presents a problem. The one we want is unavailable and that means the three of you are useless." IAC explained. Stephanie watched as the android pressed his arm and a part of it popped up like a hatch. He pressed a series of buttons and a leg compartment opened. From it he pulled a gun.

"No, please don't do this." The twenty year old pleaded.

"Sorry sweetheart but I have no use for you." The unfeeling robot said. He placed his finger on the trigger and was about to give it a squeeze when Stephanie took off running through the factory.

"I can run much faster than you puny human. You're only delaying the inevitable. Why don't you just hold still?" IAC suggested as he took off after her.

"Sportacus, I need you." Stephanie murmured wishing her hero could be there. She knew her hiding space behind some boxes wasn't going to keep her safe for long.

Over in FunTown Hospital, doctors and nurses rushed into the above average hero's room. The machines he was hooked up to were beeping like mad, indicating that his heart rate and brain activity was off the charts.

"What's going on?" One of the nurses asked unsure on how to proceed.

"I have no idea but if we don't calm him down, he'll burst his heart." Doctor Czajkawicz said. They were about to attempt a medical procedure when Sportacus shot bolt upright. His Icelandic baby blues snapped open.

"Stephanie." Was all he said before ripping off the medical suction cups, grabbing his uniform and blaring crystal off a nearby chair. He was out the room door in less than thirty seconds. As he ran toward LazyTown and his Stephanie he did something only a hero could do, he put his clothes on. Sportacus' feet pounded the pavement faster than he'd ever gone before. He just hoped he would be in time to save her.

Robbie paced back and forth effectively wearing a path into the floor. The last communication he'd received from IAC was one dot. Not sure what that meant, the resident villain wondered what he should do. Shrugging, he grabbed the walkie-talkie and held down the "Talk" button.

"This is Skywalker to Yoda. What should I do? Over." There was an incredibly long pause before a response came.

"Kill you must the fat one. Over." Was the reply.

"Well that narrows it down. They're both fat." Robbie shook his head and tried to get a straight answer.

"Which one Yoda? Over." This time there wasn't a response. IAC was a little busy. However leaving Robbie to his own devices wasn't exactly a good idea.

Stephanie found herself dodging bullets as she continued to run away from her mechanical assailant.

"Say hallo to my little friend!" IAC shouted as he opened fire on a pile of boxes. The pink haired girl ducked but one of the bullets ripped through the box closest to her and struck her upper right arm. Crying out in pain, Stephanie tried to continue to move. Unfortunately for her, the cry had been heard by the android.

"I have you now." He said as he cornered her against the boxes that he Swiss-cheesed only seconds before.

"Guess again buddy." An all too familiar voice told him.


	12. Chapter 12

IAC turned around to find LazyTown's favorite hero standing there. At first he was surprised but then the machine smirked.

"It looks as though Pinky was lying to me." The android said.

"Not quite. See you forgot one very important thing, my crystal." Sportacus smiled and then hauled off and struck the evil creation. The sound of bone on metal was sickening but it didn't seem to bother the above average hero and neither did the blood coming from what was left of his knuckles. Again he hit the interactive construct and drove him into the nearby wall. Stephanie couldn't believe what she was seeing but she was glad that Sportacus was back.

"You can't beat me human. I'm too strong and my metal skeleton has already broken your bones." IAC smiled strangely and grabbed his handgun.

"Can't fight me without your gadgets huh?" The blue sports elf taunted.

"You're pathetic attempts to try to get me into a trap fall on deaf ears. My mind doesn't process idle threats." The android shook his head and squeezed the trigger. Sportacus dodged the bullets and hit the deck.

IAC will kill him if I don't do something, Stephanie thought. She looked around for something that would aide the hero in defeating their common enemy. That's when she spotted a pipe lying on the ground. As fast as she could, the pink-haired girl crawled over to it. Unfortunately her throwing arm was useless as the blood continued to seep out of the wound in it. She'd have to try throwing leftie.

"I hope this works. Sportacus catch!" Trying her best Stephanie tossed the pipe toward the hero. The throw was short but as bullets ricocheted around him, Sportacus rolled to avoid them and scooped up the cylindrical object.

"The two of you just refuse to hold still. It would make life so much easier." IAC said.

"What do you know about life?" The above average hero asked as he jumped to his feet. "You're a machine. You don't know anything."

"I suppose you have a point but long after you're dead I'll still be here." The android pointed out and squeezed off another shot before the sound of clicking filled the air. He was out of bullets.

"Don't bet on it." Sportacus smirked and swung the pipe at IAC before he had time to reload. He struck the midsection of TMVDN's creation. The strike left a large dent in IAC and he looked at the hero.

"So you think that will do the work for you?" He asked.

"Seems to be doing the job." Sportacus swung again, this time smashing in the android in the face.

"Ow!" IAC shouted as he fell backwards. Again the above average hero swung and once more struck the metal man in the face. IAC eyes flickered, the circuits inside him damaged. To make sure the android wouldn't be bothering them again, Sportacus finished him off with one more swing. Then he turned to see Stephanie holding her arm and struggling to walk to him. She'd lost a lot of blood and now she needed help.

"Come on, I'll get you to the hospital." The above average hero smiled and helped the twenty year old out of the factory.

"You have to save Bessie and my Uncle. IAC was working with someone else and he threatened to kill them." Stephanie said.

"I have a pretty good idea who it was and if my suspicions are correct…" he didn't finish the thought. Only one man could be behind all of this, Robbie Rotten.


	13. Chapter 13

Sportacus quickly raced Stephanie to FunTown and handed her over to the medical personnel at the hospital. They begged him to stay so they could check him out but he refused, despite the blood dripping from his hands. The bones were most certainly broken but there were others in danger and he could not wait to help them since the villain's plan didn't go the way it was intended. Part of him hated to leave Stephanie as well but he had a job to do, one that she would not want him to give up. Before he could leave the doctor at least gave him some gauze to wrap his hands in, so as not to leave a trail wherever he went. Then in a flash, the above average hero was on his way back to LazyTown.

Meanwhile, Robbie had stopped pacing. He realized that something must have gone terribly wrong and that IAC wasn't coming back.

"I have to get rid of the two fat ones before anyone comes looking for them." He said to himself. There was still a chance he could get away with this as neither Miss Busybody nor Mayor Meanswell had seen him. They had been unconscious when IAC had brought them into the lair.

"If I knock them out again and get them out of here, they'll never know I was behind any of this." A plan began to form in the villain's head as he pulled on his gloves and ski mask. The next thing he grabbed off the workbench was a can of sleeping gas given to him by the android.

Sportacus reached LazyTown and immediately headed for Robbie's lair. He was the only one who could pull a stunt like this off and as far as he knew the only one in town that could manufacture robots. Upon reaching the villain's hideout, he wasted no time in opening the tube lid without knocking. Jumping down the tube, he hoped to surprise Robbie but what he found was an empty big fuzzy orange chair.

"Where could he be?" The above average hero asked himself quietly. Then as silently as he could, Sportacus began searching the underground den. He hoped that nothing bad had happened to the Mayor and his secretary.

Robbie hauled Miss Busybody's limp form around on the grass. He wasn't very far from his home but the fact of the matter was that the mayoral secretary was heavy, especially when she was unconscious.

"Good land lady, you need to lose some weight. I guess you haven't been listening to Sportakook either." Mr. Rotten mumbled under his breath as he continued to drag her to a nearby tree. Pausing for a second, he looked around. He was far enough away from his home that once he left Miss Busybody on the park bench, she couldn't be traced back to him but he was uncomfortable with the distance he'd have to travel to get back to his home. Shaking his head, Robbie continued to pull the woman toward the park bench that was now only a few feet away.

"I just hope that baldy doesn't weigh this much." He said as he dumped the kidnap victim and headed for his lair, completely unaware of what lay in store for him.

The pain in Sportacus' hands grew as he continued to search the seemingly empty underground facility. He ignored it as best as he could and he moved stealthily from room to room. Despite the feeling in his gut that Robbie was behind all of this, he could not find any evidence to support his theory. There were no obvious clues like normal.

"Maybe he's finally smartened up. This could present a problem." The above average hero said to himself. That's when he heard a noise. Quickly he ducked behind a table covered in some sort of strange experiments and watched to see who had joined him. What he saw surprised him.

Robbie opened the side door and entered his home. Something seemed out of place but he figured he didn't have time to worry about it as he still had to get Mayor Meanswell out of there.

"Well well there you are." A familiar voice said.

"Mrs. Mazzi?" Robbie questioned as the parole officer leveled a nine millimeter pistol at him.


	14. Chapter 14

Sportacus looked at the scene before him and was unsure what was going on. As a parole officer Mrs. Mazzi could blow Robbie into the police but using a gun on him didn't seem like the right option. However he wasn't so keen on letting the villain get shot either; he had to protect everyone, no matter who they were.

"I knew you couldn't do anything right. IAC was supposed to help you and yet you screwed it up anyway." Mazzi said.

"What?" Robbie asked as he pulled his ski mask off.

"I work for The Ministry of Villains and Downright Naughtiness, idiot." The woman spat at him.

"How? You're a parole officer." Robbie just wasn't getting it.

"Do you really think evil pays well enough for me to give up my regular job? Anyway you've failed and now it is my duty to take you out. We can't leave any witnesses." Margaret said.

"That crazy android wanted me to kill people." LazyTown's resident villain told her.

"Sometimes you have to kill to get your point across. Besides what kind of evil-doer are you if you can't take acceptable losses? If looked at your record, what do you think you were trying to do with the fake train and tree house collapse?" She asked. This had never occurred to Robbie and his eyes went wide. Sure he wanted to get rid of Sportacus and the brats but he never actually figured what would happen if the hero hadn't been there. In fact in some strange way he was banking on the sports elf to be there to foil him.

"Enough of this, time for you to die and the evidence to disappear." Mazzi said. She cocked her pistol and aimed it at the villain. At this point, Sportacus had had enough.

"You first lady." The above average hero jumped from his hiding spot and knocked her to the ground. The pistol flew from the woman's hand and skittered across the floor. Robbie was surprised by the appearance of Sportacus but he certainly welcomed it. Quickly the villain went for the gun while the above average hero grappled with the crazed parole officer. Once Robbie grabbed the weapon he pointed it at the two. He could see that the bandages on the sports elf's hands were almost all red but he continued to fight the woman. Something inside him said he had to help but he didn't know what to do. Then he had an idea.

"Freeze! Both of you!" Robbie shouted as he pointed the gun at them.

"Oh so now you grow a set." Mazzi insulted him as she stood up.

"Shut up or you'll find a bullet in your skull." The villain snapped back. That quieted her and Sportacus' eyes went wide as he lifted himself off the floor.

"Robbie think about what you're doing." The above average hero said.

"I am thinking clearly, Sportawipe. If I kill both of you and dump your bodies, I'm in the clear. Two birds with one stone, and then I'll deal with the Mayor." LazyTown's resident villain then he walked over to the two pointing the gun at the parole officer and then to the hero.

"So which one should buy the farm first?" He asked. There was a look in Sportacus' face. No doubt he was thinking about Stephanie and thinking about a way out of the current situation.

"Once you do this, there is no going back." The sports elf told him.

"You're right. Once I do this I'll be evil for real." Robbie moved toward the hero and pointed the gun at his forehead.

"Goodbye Sportakook." The villain said as he prepared to pull the trigger. All the hero could think of was how he failed LazyTown and Stephanie as he awaited the sound of the gun firing.


	15. Chapter 15

Chief Dooright paced back and forth. The deadline he'd given Stephanie to return had long since passed and he feared the worst.

"I want squad cars out patrolling the town, double the normal presence. If Stephanie needs out help then we need to be out there." He told desk sergeant O'Malley.

"Yes, sir." The lower man on the totem pole responded.

"Get SWAT ready. I have a feeling our favorite bad guy is behind this." Dooright said.

"Right away." O'Malley complied and made the call.

"I just hope we're not too late." The Police Chief muttered to himself as he grabbed his service weapon, badge, and car keys.

Meanwhile Trixie, Stingy, Pixel, and Ziggy couldn't sit still either. The four paced around in the Gizmo Guy's room trying to think of what to do.

"I can't stand it! We can't just pace around!" Trixie's short fuse was about to go off.

"What would you have us do? We don't even know where Stephanie is." Pixel pointed out.

"He's got a point." Stingy said. At that comment, the pigtailed one balled up her fist and was about to slug the miserly boy when Ziggy suddenly spoke up.

"Why don't we head to the rubber ducky factory? There has to be clues there." His three friends' jaws hit the floor. Ziggy's rare moment of brilliance shocked them.

"Come on! Let's go!" Trixie was the first to respond as she took off from the room. Quickly the others followed.

The sound of the gun never came and Sportacus looked up at Robbie. There was this weird look on his face and obviously something running through his mind.

"Ha I knew you couldn't do it." Mazzi laughed at the villain's impotence. The look on Robbie's face changed and he didn't hesitate to re-aim the nine-millimeter pistol at a new target.

"So you're going to shoot me instead? Ha ha you are dumb. You realize if I don't return they will send more just like me to kill you." The serious yet sarcastic tone of voice the fake parole officer was taking ground on Robbie's nerves.

"Oh you'll come back to them. Just in little pieces." LazyTown's villain fired the gun and hit the surprised woman in the kneecap. She screamed out in pain and crumpled to the ground. Sportacus just stood there, his eyes wide.

"Shut up or I'll shoot the other kneecap." Robbie threatened. He then turned to the above average hero.

"The Mayor is in the back room. Get him out of here." Needless to say the sports elf needed no encouragement. He raced to the back room and found Mayor Meanswell still bound and gagged. The grateful man smiled and Sportacus picked him up and then exited the room.

"Go out through the side tunnel. You'll find Miss Busybody not far from here if the cops haven't already gotten to her." Again Mr. Rotten gave the hero instructions.

"I'm not leaving you alone with her. How do I know you won't kill her?" Sportacus argued.

"I'm sure the cops are on their way anyway. I'll turn myself in and let them have her too." Robbie assured him. The above average hero didn't know what to make of all of this but he didn't look a gift horse in the mouth as he headed out the side entrance. Once outside he set Milford down and untied him.

"Thank you Sportacus. Where is Stephanie? Is she all right?" Meanswell asked. Before his friend dressed in blue could answer there was another gunshot.


	16. Chapter 16

Sportacus took off for Robbie's hideout leaving Milford without any answers and having to untie a freshly woken up Miss Busybody. The above average hero knew he shouldn't have left the villain alone with that crazy woman.

"I hope he hasn't killed her." He said to himself as he heard sirens in the distance signaling the police were on their way. The blue sports elf was in for a surprise when he entered the lair.

On the other side of town, Trixie, Stingy, Ziggy, and Pixel slowly entered the darkened ex-rubber ducky factory. Promptly Pixel handed out flashlights and the group separated into pairs of two. Trixie and Stingy headed north of the entryway while Ziggy and the Gizmo Guy headed south. Both groups kept their flashlights' beams low so as to not tip off anyone that remained in the building. It wasn't long before Trixie spotted boxes with bullet shaped holes in them.

"Go find the other two." She said to Stingy after pointing out what she'd found. He nodded and quickly took off toward his other friends. Trixie now swept the floor looking for blood and praying she didn't find any. Unfortunately that wasn't the case as she found a small trail leading across the room.

"What did you get yourself into girl?" The pig tailed girl asked the red fluid on the floor knowing she wouldn't get an answer. That's when she felt someone touch her arm. Trixie swirled around, hauled off and struck her unseen assailant with her left hook.

"Yahhh!" Screamed a familiar voice alerting anyone in the building that someone else was there.

"Way to go, you slugged Stingy!" Pixel gave her a dirty look, which was hard to see in the dark.

"Good God I think she broke my jaw." The miser said as he loudly pulled himself up off a pile of rubber duckies that he fell into when he'd been hit.

"If it was broken you wouldn't be able to talk stupid. Now can we focus? I found what appears to be blood and it leads over here." Trixie pointed out, no longer keeping her voice down.

"Who's blood is that?" Ziggy asked, hoping he did already know the answer.

"I don't know but I hope it wasn't Stephanie's." Trixie told him.

"The trail stops here." Pixel gestured to the last spot on the floor and the group circled around. Suddenly there was a light coming at them from behind and the four froze. Slowly they turned around and shone their flashlights back at the light. There they found what appeared to be a person with the exception of the light coming out of his eyes.

"What is it?" Ziggy asked.

"I have no idea." Trixie answered. Only Pixel was brave enough to get close to the contraption and he immediately realized what it was.

"I had no idea they'd perfected this." He said.

"Perfected what?" Stingy wondered.

"It's an android or IAC, interactive construct." The Gizmo Guy explained. "And it looks like someone went to town on it with a pipe and their fists." He continued.

"Who's strong enough to do that?" The question from Ziggy's lips surprised no one.

"Sportacus." Trixie smiled. The others agreed and Pixel quickly dialed Chief Dooright's number knowing the lawman would be interested in what they'd found.

Back at Robbie's, Sportacus was in a bit of a pickle. What he'd found and what he expected had been two different things. Mr. Rotten lay on the floor with a bullet wound to his abdomen and Margaret Mazzi held a thirty-eight-caliber weapon in her hand.

"Standard issue second weapon. Too bad your friend was too stupid to realize that." She pointed to Robbie who continued to bleed on the floor.

"The police are on their way." Sportacus pointed out, as the sound of the sirens grew louder.

"Well by the time they get to him, he'll be dead. As for you, a real shame the mighty Sportacus is going to go down this way. I always figured it'd be by some machine or in a fire or even in a hail of bullets but it seems only one bullet will do the trick this time." Mazzi stopped her monologue and aimed the thirty-eight at the above average hero.

"Say goodbye blue." She squeezed the trigger and a bullet left the chamber of the gun.


	17. Chapter 17

What happened next could only be described as one of the luckiest things to have occurred ever. The bullet exited the chamber of Margaret Mazzi's gun at a velocity of approximately six hundred and forty-one miles an hour (290 meters per second), which should have meant she had Sportacus stuck in the cross hairs no matter how fast he was moving. However with her injury and blurred vision from the blood loss she suffered, she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. The speeding metal projectile missed its intended target and ricocheted off the wall behind him. In the few seconds of confusion that passed through the psychotic woman's mind, Sportacus was able to grab the gun away from her. She looked at him with a strange befuddled look before regaining her senses and trying to make a desperate attempt to retrieve her weapon, forgetting for only a moment that she only had one good leg to stand on. There was a scream of pain as Mazzi fell to the ground only a foot from where she started.

"Wow and you called Robbie stupid." Sportacus shook his head and quickly turned to the bleeding villain on the floor.

"Oh boy, what did you get yourself into this time?" He asked the unconscious man on the floor. The above average hero felt for a pulse and he was able to find a faint one. Quickly he placed his hands over the wound and attempted to stop the bleeding but with his fingers being damaged from his fight with IAC earlier he didn't seem to be doing much good.

"Come on Robbie hang in there." Sportacus pleaded. It was then that he heard the sound of the top hatchway being broken into and he turned to see the SWAT team landing on the floor.

"We need an ambulance quick!" The blue sports elf yelled at them. They five men looked around, a little confused at the current situation but the leader snapped out of it and immediately radioed for the rescue vehicle.

Outside a crowd gathered, including Trixie, Stingy, Pixel, and Ziggy. The four of them had hauled what was left of IAC to Pixel's house after Chief Dooright hadn't answered their phone call. With the android strapped to the worktable, the four had headed off in the direction of all the sirens.

"What's going on here?" Trixie asked a woman standing near the yellow police line tape.

"All I heard is that there were two gunshots and someone is in real trouble." The woman answered. At that the pigtailed girl could feel a lump growing in her throat. She knew that it was possible that Stephanie had already been bleeding but if Sportacus was hurt too… The thought never finished as she saw the above average hero emerge from behind the billboard.

"Sportacus is ok!" She shouted, happy that her friend wasn't the one with the bullet in him but that's when she noticed where his hands were.

"What happened to Robbie?" Ziggy asked as he saw Trixie saw.

"That doesn't look good." Pixel said as he saw the above average hero let the paramedics take over. When Sportacus removed his hands from Robbie's wound, everyone could see them covered in blood. Knowing the crowd was watching him; the blue sports elf gave a slight smile and nod before running off toward FunTown. The ambulance sirens blared as it too raced toward the hospital and capable surgeons in the town only a few miles away. Soon the crowd got over their shock and began to dissipate, leaving the four friends to ask the Chief what was going on.

Meanwhile back at Pixel's house, more trouble was brewing. The lights that had turned on in IAC's eyes were almost completely off as his systems rebooted themselves. His mechanical shell but have been damaged but his programming refused to let him die completely. Soon he would be functioning on a somewhat lower performance level but he'd be performing nonetheless.


	18. Chapter 18

Robbie was whisked away into surgery and Sportacus was directed to the nearest nurse who could take an X-ray. The nice woman, whose nametag read Sandy, led him down the hall and helped him wash the blood off his hands. Then they walked to the room where the X-ray machine was.

"Must be a busy couple of days in LazyTown." Sandy commented.

"You have no idea." Sportacus shook his head. The nurse gave a smile and then got behind the lead shield. The above average hero waited patiently for the machine to start. He could have sworn he heard Sandy shout 'Fire in the hole!' as she pushed the big red button. Shaking his head again, he tried to convince himself that he was hearing things.

Once the X-ray machine was done, the nurse came back into the room. She removed the lead shield she'd given Sportacus and said,

"We'll only have to wait a few minutes before we find out how messed up your hands are. But if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say you've managed to break almost every finger on both hands."

"You don't pull any punches do you?" He asked.

"Well you're hardly dying and you don't seem the type to want things sugar-coated." She shrugged.

"Points taken. I really need to check up on my friends, so how long will it take to get me all fixed up?" Sportacus wondered.

"That completely depends on whether or not the doctor thinks we should cast your fingers and forearm or if we're just giving you lots of little finger splints." Sandy said, completely serious, even though the thought of the above average hero wearing ten finger splints would be hilarious to some extent.

"Beep. Beep." The machine let out the loud noises to signal that the photos were processed.

"You're X-rays are done so now it's time to see if your going to be a proud father or not." The wacky nurse smiled again and retrieved the items. Sportacus shook his head again, wondering how this nurse did her job.

"Congrats! You've officially broken all eight fingers and two thumbs. That means you'll be wearing a cast all the way just past your elbow on both arms." Sandy told him.

"For how long?" He wanted to know.

"Six to eight weeks Bucky. Now come on, let's get you to the Doctor." She smiled and helped him off the table. The two then exited the room and headed for the casting room.

Meanwhile, the doctors fought to save Robbie. He'd lost a lot of blood and the bullet had certainly done what it was supposed to.

"That hole in his stomach keeps bleeding, we must be missing something." One surgeon said.

"The bullet didn't exit the body so it has to be around here somewhere. Check the intestines and spine." The head surgeons ordered. Immediately the two worked their hands around until they found what they were looking for.

"Good land, it's lodged in his vertebra." The first doctor couldn't believe it.

"Call Doctor Schwartz! He's trained to handle this." The second doctor ordered a nurse who was standing by. When she left, both doctors hoped that the specialist could be reached, otherwise the chance of Robbie walking again were very slim.

Back in LazyTown, the teenagers along with Mayor Meanswell and Miss Busybody had gotten the low-down from Chief Dooright and the group was now heading to Pixel's to check out the android.

"So you have no idea what happened to Stephanie?" Milford asked.

"I'm afraid not. Sportacus knows something but he didn't tell me. We were too busy trying to help Robbie." That last part of the sentence sounded weird and the Chief shook his head. "Now what did you guys find again?" He continued.

"An android with Sportacus sized fist marks and some pipe dents. That must have been Robbie's accomplice." Pixel surmised.

"Well then that doesn't explain Mrs. Mazzi with a bullet in her knee, especially since Robbie was the one who was hit worse." Dooright said.

"You have a point but it was the only thing that would make Sportacus go after this mechanical wonder." The Gizmo Guy argued.

"I think you both have points, now can we move on?" Trixie was anxious to see what happened to Stephanie and going to the hospital was the only way to do it. Pixel nodded and opened his front door. Then the group headed to the basement to inspect IAC closely. Only problem was that the straps holding the intelligent robot down were broken.

"Oh no, it's gone." The teenagers couldn't believe it.


	19. Chapter 19

At the hospital, the doctor put the finishing touches on Sportacus' casts. The medical man was a good natured older fellow but he just couldn't get over the fact that the above average hero had managed to break all his fingers at once.

"You're my very first double finger and thumb cast and I've been doing this for a long time." Doctor Himi smiled.

"Yes, you keep saying that." Sportacus said, a little upset.

"I'm sorry but most doctors go through their entire career casting arms and legs but fingers and thumbs can be tricky." The doctor gave a have smile as Sportacus stood up.

"Well thank you doctor. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find my friends." The blue suited muscular man nodded.

"Of course. Come back in six weeks and we'll check your progress." Himi smiled again and watched Sportacus go down the hall.

By now Trixie, Pixel, Stingy, Ziggy, Mayor Meanswell, and Miss Busybody arrived at the hospital. They were told where Stephanie was but the nurse refused to discuss Robbie as none of them were related to him. The Mayor tried to explain that he had no relatives but the nurse didn't want to hear it, assuming it was a ploy for her to break federal and hospital codes. Frustrated the group made their way to Stephanie's room. When they got there, they got a little surprise. Sportacus was already there and the surprise was what had happened to his arms and hands.

"Good land man. What happened?" Mayor Meanswell wanted to know.

"It's a long story, the short of it being that Stephanie is going to be ok." The hero easily deflected the question and changed the subject. Trixie came around the opposite side of the bed and gave her friend a hug.

"I was worried about you." She said.

"No worries, the doctor says I was lucky. The bullet passed through my arm and didn't hit any bones or anything. They're letting me go home tomorrow." The pink haired one smiled.

"I'm so glad you're ok." Milford came around and hugged her too.

"I'm glad you are too. I was afraid something bad would happen to you and Bessie." His niece said.

"You have Robbie to thank for them being safe. Seems he isn't all bad as he would have us believe." Sportacus told them.

"I must be hearing things, you mind running that by me again?" Stephanie said, as she rubbed her left ear with her finger. The above average hero nodded and proceeded to tell everyone what he'd witnessed all the way up to getting Robbie into the ambulance.

"How is he doing anyway?" Sportacus asked when he'd finished.

"We don't know, the nurse wouldn't tell us. If he really did all of that then we have to make sure he isn't sent to prison again." Bessie remarked.

"That will be tough considering he's looking at a long prison term for kidnapping a Mayor." Milford reminded her.

"I'll talk to Chief Dooright and explain everything. I'm sure a good dose a community service will fix things." The sports elf said.

"Sounds good. Well I'm going to go talk to the doctor about any special care plans for you Stephanie." Mayor Meanswell smiled.

"I'll go with you." Bessie offered. Milford nodded and the two left the room. Trixie looked at Sportacus and could see he wanted to have some alone time with Stephanie.

"Come on guys, lets go get some pop. I could use the caffeine." She said.

"Will there be chocolate at the machines?" Ziggy wondered.

"Most definitely but it's all mine." Stingy smiled.

"Not if I get there first!" Ziggy shouted and raced out of the room.

"I better go make sure he doesn't hurt himself again." Pixel rolled his eyes and headed out the door. Trixie winked at Stephanie before shooing Stingy out the door as well.

"Sportacus you've got some splaining to do." The pink haired one smirked.

"I suppose I do. It's been a rough couple of days." He smiled.

"You could say that. I mean I lost you, got you back, got shot, and somehow have to believe that Robbie's turned over a new leaf. What could happen next?" She wondered.

"Well for at least six weeks I won't be able to hold you in my arms and that is a bit disconcerting." The above average hero tried to make light of the situation.

"I suppose that means you'll have to stay with me at home." She smirked.

"Why Miss Stephanie what are you suggesting?" He smiled and leaned over, taking her lips in his.


	20. Chapter 20

Sportacus sent the group home some time later so that Stephanie could rest and then he headed back toward the nurses' station. He wanted to find out about Robbie and federal regulations be damned.

"What room is Robert Rotten in?" The above average hero asked politely. The nurse eyed the casts on his arms before answering.

"I can't release that information unless you can verify you're related to the person in question."

"Ma'am, I'm LazyTown's protector and this man got himself shot because he was trying to help me, so don't make me ask again." Sportacus' tone was serious. Again the nurse seemed as though she would resist but after giving him a visual once over, she decided against it.

"Down the hall, room number three twenty two." She replied.

"Thank you." The blue suited man smiled and made his way down the hall. At this hour of the night an eerie silence had fallen over the hospital only disrupted by the beeping of machines and the occasional ringing phone at the unit's main desk. Without even realizing it, Sportacus was upon Robbie's door and he almost missed it being so intent on his thoughts.  _Way to look stupid_ , the above average hero chided himself. Slowly he entered the room to see that Robbie was hooked up to all sorts of various machines keeping him alive.

"Oh boy Robbie. You really did it this time." Sportacus spoke softly as he picked up the medical chart from the end of the bed. Most of it was in medical jargon but he soon got the drift with phrases like "possibility of paralysis" and "extensive internal damage". Putting the clipboard back where he got it from, the above average hero plopped himself into the chair near the bed. Robbie might have been a pain in his ass since he arrived in LazyTown but he would never wish what had happened to anybody.

"Poor bastard." The voice at the door startled him.

"Stephanie!" Sportacus shook his head, trying to keep his tone down.

"What? Do you really expect me to feel sorry for him? He tried to kill me, my uncle, and Miss Busybody remember? This wasn't the first time he tried to off me or someone else close to me." The pink haired girl said not bothering to keep quiet. Sportacus nodded, he knew that it would be hard to forgive him. Ever since her parents died, Stephanie had changed. Some of it was good, she had become tougher but some of it wasn't so good. He reached out and took her left hand as bet he could and pulled her close.

"I know what he has done to you and I know it's hard to believe that Robbie could change but I saw it with my own eyes. Do you not believe me?" The above average hero asked. Stephanie let out a big sigh and sat on his lap.

"I know what you've said and I know that I would never question you but this just seems so unreal. Here we are sitting in the room of the man who has been trying to get rid of you and me for the past twelve years. My mind just refuses to accept what is going on." She told him.

"I understand it is hard but we've had stranger things happen." He tried to make his point.

"True." The twenty year old nodded and then placed her head on his left shoulder. A silence fell between them and Sportacus did the best he could to hold her close. It wasn't going to be easy but he was willing to bet that they would pull through and so would Robbie. LazyTown would have to adjust to having another good guy. Although there were some things that still bothered him about the past few days events. Was Robbie really being good or was he making a conscious decision to be the only bad guy in town? Where had the robot and Mrs. Mazzi come from? And how did the metallic being get out of Pixel's house without anyone noticing?


	21. Chapter 21

Mrs. Mazzi awoke to find herself handcuffed to her hospital bed. The hours in surgery had taken their toll on her body and mind but she refused to let that stop her. She had to get out of there before the police came back asking any questions. Reaching with her free hand, Margaret put her fingers through her hair, looking for her bobby pins. Fortunately, they were still there and she quickly grabbed one. Her next move was to attempt to pick the lock that held her to the bed but before she could she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. With the door open she couldn't take the risk of being seen.

"Good morning. Here is your breakfast." An all too pleasant nurse smiled and set the tray down on the table that swung over the bed.

"How am I supposed to eat with my right hand chained to the bed?" Mazzi asked hoping that she could get someone would take the cuffs off for her.

"Well I guess you'd better learn leftie." The nurse continued to smile before leaving the room. Margaret shrugged her shoulders.

"Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Let's see what we have here." She said to herself. It appeared that the nurse had thought of everything and the only instrument that could have been of any use, the knife, was plastic. Muttering to herself, the evil woman continued to attempt the bobby pin trick.

Meanwhile down a different hospital hallway, Stephanie awoke from her position on Sportacus' lap where she had fallen asleep the night before. She quickly stood up, hoping she hadn't cut the circulation in the above average hero's lap off. This made the blue suited man wake up however. He smiled at her and put his hands up to rub his eyes, forgetting for a minute that all his fingers were coated in plaster.

"Ow." He said. Stephanie shook her head and lightly tried to brush the sleep from his eyes with her available hand. Sportacus smiled and nodded in thanks before standing up and heading out into the hallway. His muscles ached to move and it was killing him to sit down. A few moments later, the pink haired girl joined him.

"Well he's still not awake. Now what should we do?" She asked.

"I think we should get you back to LazyTown. Meantime, I'll go check on our other villain." He told her.

"I suppose I should go home to be with Uncle Milford. You don't need me?" Stephanie wondered, hoping he'd say yes.

"I always need you but right now, I have to handle this by myself. Besides the less Margaret Mazzi knows about what that android did the better." He smiled.

"Ok, well I'll go make a phone call. Come home soon." She smiled back and then used her toes to push herself up to kiss the hero on the cheek. Then she turned and walked back toward the nurses' station. Sportacus headed toward the other desk to see if he could pull information out of the same nurse he'd asked earlier but when he got down to the desk it was empty and the sounds of alarms could be heard. There was some shouting and quickly the above average hero headed over to it.

"How did this happen?" The doctor screamed at the nurse.

"I don't know." Came the reply.

"What is going on in here?" Sportacus interrupted them.

"The patient chained to this bed is gone." The doctor continued to glare at the nurse.

"Call the FunTown police, I'll go look for her." Sportacus said. As quick as he could, he left the two to find the escapee.


	22. Chapter 22

A couple days passed with no sign of the menacing Margaret Mazzi. Somehow she had eluded the grasp of LazyTown and FunTown police officers alike. Although it shouldn't have been that hard to catch a woman who hobbled around, there was no telling on what kind of head start she had or if someone was hiding her. Evil lurks anywhere it can find.

Sportacus had moved into the Mayor's guest room seeing as he couldn't bend his fingers for the next six weeks, flying his airship would be very difficult; that and bathing. Stephanie said she'd be helpful as she could be when it came to the latter but her uncle wouldn't hear of it. Still the guest room was across the hall from the pink-haired one's bedroom.

Robbie was awake and getting stronger but he still couldn't move his legs. The doctors didn't like the results they were getting especially after they had removed the bullet from it position lodged in his vertebra. Still they were confident that given the opportunity, Robbie could and would walk again. A feeling of self-pity had overcome the resident villain and now he just lay in bed.

"What are you doing?" Sportacus asked as he walked into the hospital room.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Robbie snapped back.

"You can snap at me all you want, it isn't going to help you walk again." The above average hero reminded him.

"What do you care if I walk again? It's better now because you won't have to worry about chasing me around." Again Robbie's sour mood was evident.

"True but what kind of person would I be if I thought like that?" Sportacus questioned.

"Ah so scruples won't let you think ill of anyone huh? Well then I guess I'll jump out of bed and run a marathon." The purple suited man smirked.

"Sarcasm will get you nowhere. Now I know you won't listen to me anyway but if you don't get your ass out of that bed, I'll kick it out and you can crawl back to LazyTown." Sportacus' tone turned more serious.

"Well well Sportakook, I've never seen this side of you. Mean, vicious, and down right evil." A smile crossed Robbie's face.

"Fine lay there but when I go back to LazyTown and tell everyone that you saved my life, the Mayor's, and Miss Busybody's, you're evil-guy routine will be ruined. You know they always look for the best in people and I'm sure after all that's happened it wouldn't take much to convince them." The above average hero gave his own smile back.

"So blackmail is it?" Robbie asked.

"If it will get you out of this bed, then yes." Sportacus told him.

"All right Sportawipe, well I'll keep that in mind during therapy." The villain nodded.

"Good. Now I'll be back every day to check up on you." The sports elf continued to smile.

"Oh joy." Robbie rolled his eyes. Sportacus gave a smirk and left the man to ponder their conversation.

"He is such a rat bastard when he wants to be." Robbie smirked and turned his focus to his legs.

"I'd hate to disappoint him." The villain tried with all his might to move his lower extremities but all he managed to do was break out in a sweat.

"Ewww. This is going to be nastier than I thought." Robbie sighed and continued to work on moving his legs.

"If Sportadrool thinks he can beat me at my own game, he's sorely mistaken. I'll show him; I'll show all those twitty do-gooders." The villain set his resolve. He would get out of that bed even if it killed him.


	23. Chapter 23

"It seems your mission to LazyTown was a failure. Not only did you not get rid of this Sportacus, you managed to get IAC practically destroyed. We had to send in an extraction team to save both of your hides." The head council member of the TMVDN, David Josam said as a group of men sat at a U-shaped table wearing different colored robes to show their rank.

"You have to understand sir, I was not fully informed about his capabilities nor was I aware of Rotten's tendencies. As I filed in my report, I did not have enough tools to deal with a man who can come back from death's door in an instant or a villain who seems to have a soft spot." Mazzi defended herself, making the best effort to stand up on her crutches in the middle of the floor.

"I saw your report. I'm not entirely convinced either. You were unable to kill Rotten as well. From the Network, we've discovered he is being discharged from the hospital today. Explain yourself." The man next to Josam, J. R. Webster, who was the vice councilman, gave her a look.

"I shot him with my secondary weapon in the abdomen at almost point blank range. What else was I supposed to do? Especially since I was already shot myself?" Margaret wasn't about to back down from their accusations.

"Enough! We will vote with the other members of the council and you shall know our decision by noon tomorrow. Meanwhile you are confined to quarters until our verdict is given. Guards! Take her away." David ordered. With that the hearing was over and Mazzi was hauled away but the guards to her room.

Thousands of miles away, back in LazyTown, Sportacus sat outside in the beautiful sunshine on the large bench swing trying to get rid of the funny feeling in his upper torso. He'd been running so as not to get out of shape but not being able to do his usual exercises that required his arms, was something his body apparently couldn't handle.

"Well well if it isn't Sportanut." An all too familiar voice snapped the above average hero's head toward the fence.

"So Robbie out of the hospital already?" Spoartcus smiled as the villain wheeled his wheelchair around the open fence door and onto the little garden path that wound its way near the swing.

"Yes, I am. The doctor's were very happy with my progress." Robbie smirked.

"I should think so considering you were only there about ten days." The blue suited sports elf gave a slight chuckle.

"Well I couldn't let you show me up." Robbie locked the brakes down on the wheelchair and gripped the armrests. Sportacus watched as the villain pulled himself up into a standing position.

"Very well done, Robbie." The hero congratulated him.

"And for my next trick…" the villain moved his legs and managed to take one step.

"I'm impressed. At this rate you'll be running marathons in six months." Sportacus smiled.

"Ha ha, very funny. I'm not running anywhere, legs or no legs." Robbie shook his head as he took his time to situate himself back into the wheelchair.

"Well who will be taking care of you?" The above average hero wondered.

"I got that covered. Seems the police are all to happy to help me with my recovery although I can't imagine why." Robbie gave him a look.

"They just want to make sure you can serve all of those hours of community service." Sportacus smirked. Robbie gave him a look before releasing the brakes on the wheelchair and turning around.

"I'll see you later, Sportadope." With that Robbie sped his way back down the path and out into the empty sidewalk. A smile crossed the above average hero's face as he stood up and headed into the house. The Mayor and Stephanie were sitting in the kitchen looking at some paperwork.

"Was that who I thought that was?" Milford asked.

"Yes. Seems Robbie will be back to his old self in no time." Sportacus nodded.

"I want to thank you…" Meanswell started.

"You never have to say thank you. Just do me a favor and keep being the best Mayor you can be, as I know you are." The above average hero gave another nod before heading back out the doorway with Stephanie right behind.


	24. Epilogue

Margaret Mazzi paced anxiously back and forth in her room. Noon was fast approaching and her judgment would soon be handed down. There was one thing The Ministry of Villains and Downright Naughtiness prided itself on and that was swift and unforgiving punishment. For failing she could be looking at anything from permanent desk duty to execution. No one just ever left his or her job at the Ministry. Either you died or your bosses killed you first.

"Where did I go wrong?" She asked herself. The door to her room opened preventing her from answering her own question.

"Margaret Mazzi, employee number five-six-nine-three, stand forth and have your verdict read to you." The robot at the door proclaimed. Quickly she moved in front of the scanning robot's eyes and it verified her retinal scan.

"You have hereby found guilty of failure to complete your mission. Punishment is to be cleaning the Robot Storage on level five for the next ten years. Your new position begins now." The cold steel of the robot's hand grabbed her and dragged her down the hallway toward the elevator. She struggled for it to let go but it was no use. Everyday for the next ten years, she would be dusted, oiling, and polishing robots. A job that often drove its unfortunate worker insane in about two weeks. With nothing to look forward to but the same task everyday, Mazzi was loaded onto the elevator and taken to level five.

Down in the Robot and Android Repair Center on level six, IAC was being put back together and reprogrammed. Soon he would join his fellow androids in a service rotation and be placed on a new assignment within the next week or so. David Josam entered the room and scared the technician by poking him on the shoulder.

"Head council member Josam, please forgive me, I did not hear you enter." Sam Traut said.

"Have no fear Sam, I'm only here to give you this IAC's new instructions." Josam smiled.

"This one skipping the rotation?" Sam wondered.

"Indeed, I have bigger plans for him. Here is what you need. Good day Sam and keep up the evil work." Josam handed him a flash drive before leaving the room.

"Will do sir, thank you sir." Sam smiled and stuck the flash drive into the USB port at the base of IAC's neck. The android awoke and faced Sam.

"State your primary function." The technician ordered.

"Kill Sportacus." IAC answered.

**The End**


End file.
